


Heaven On Earth

by Higgles123



Category: The Drop (2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:29:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22378750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgles123/pseuds/Higgles123
Summary: This is a little something I wrote for a dear friend on tumblr. Bob meets a girl in the park who is deaf, and this is just a little one shot of their relationship.
Relationships: Bob Saginowski/Original Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	Heaven On Earth

It was a cold yet sunny day in Brooklyn; the sort of day where the frost twinkles upon the ground, looking like something out of a postcard and the sunlight brings people forth from their homes to enjoy the crisp air. Bob Saginowski was just one of those people, although in all fairness Bob was one of those people in all weather. Every morning at precisely eight thirty, he would smile at Rocco and the excitable grey pitbull would run for his lead with all the grace and decorum of an elephant on ice skates.

The park they visited was only around the corner from the house Bob had once shared and grown up in with his now deceased parents. The early morning walk was good for both him and Rocco. It helped Rocco to socialise with other people and other dogs without piddling everywhere due to excitement, and it made Bob get out in the fresh air. If he wasn’t at the bar then usually he would be sat in the house, listening to music or watching the television, so having a reason to get out of the house was really rather nice.

Bob let out a breath and as he caught the misty condensation that escaped his mouth, he was momentarily transported back to his childhood; a time where the biggest worry he had was not getting home in time to watch his favourite tv show, or ripping open a box of cereal and praying with all of his might that the collectible toy wasn’t one he already had. He smiled to himself recalling those winter days spent with his friends holding a straw to their mouths and pretending that their cold breath was smoke from their pretend cigarettes. But just as soon as the smile came, it fell from his face. Bob always felt guilty smiling or feeling happiness of any sort. He was a man who looked soft on the outside but inside he harboured dark secrets that stuck to him like tar. They never left him and as such, he carried their weight with him always like a cross upon his back. Not even church could absolve him of those sins, but being in the Lord’s house brought him a tiny measure of peace if only for the short time he was there.

So lost in his wayward thoughts, Bob didn’t notice the young woman sat on a bench beneath the shelter of the oak tree; now bare and eagerly awaiting the return of spring. What he did notice though was Rocco deciding that the patch of grass right beside the woman’s feet was the perfect place to take his morning poop. He shouted to Rocco, but of course his (un)faithful best friend did as he pleased and completely ignored his master.

Bob began his sprint across the narrow field, although like in every nightmare anyone had ever had, the faster he tried to run, the slower his legs seemed to move. He called out to the woman, telling her not to move but she didn’t even look up from her phone. Bob thought perhaps he should let her stand right in it just to teach her a valuable lesson about the dangers ofsociety and their addiction to modern technology, but he didn’t have it in him. Sure, he had murdered a man in cold blood and had the body decomposing in his cellar, but the good manners his mother had instilled in him cringed at the thought of allowing someone to stand in his dog’s excrement.

“Sorry,” he apologised, finally reaching the bench and kneeling down immediately to scoop up the mess with one of the little bags he kept in his pocket. “This little guy loves to ignore me and do whatever he pleases.”

The woman looked up finally and frowned at him in confusion. But it took Bob a few moments to register the furrowed brows, because all he could focus on was her eyes. They were almost amber in colour with sporadic hazel flecks, and they were framed by beautifully long lashes that were devoid of any mascara or other stuff that women insisted on plastering their faces in. It wasn’t that Bob was adverse to women wearing make up; it was that he was adverse to the way women hid their natural beauty behind a mask of something they thought people wanted them to look like.

Rocco jumped up onto the woman’s lap and began licking at her face happily making her giggle. Her face was even more beautiful when she was smiling and Bob was certain he had never seen a sight so beautiful in all of his life. He thought about the times he attended Mass and sometimes when it was a special occasion, such as Christmas or Easter, they managed to get in the choir from one of the neighbouring churches and the sound of those voices was like angels. It was ethereal and otherworldly but in the best kind of way. When Bob looked upon the woman’s beaming face it was as though he could hear those celestial harmonies clear as day.

“What’s his name?” the woman suddenly asked, breaking Bob from his unusually sappy thoughts.

Bob blinked. Her voice was soft and husky yet distinctly feminine.

“Rocco,” Bob mumbled eventually.

“Rocco,” she smiled, scratching the dog’s ear affectionately. “He’s sweet.”

“Nah, he’s a devil,” Bob smirked, sitting down beside her on the bench, waiting for Rocco to come over to him.

But the pitbull was far too busy acquainting himself with whatever was in his new friend’s coat pockets.

“Rocco,” Bob said firmly, completely unsurprised when Rocco continued sniffing at the black parka coat that had captured his interest. “He’s a horror; if you tell him no he’ll listen to you probably better than he listens to me.”

The woman looked up at him and frowned, and that was when Bob noticed it. The woman saw him looking at the cochlear implant she had attached to the side of her head and smiled shyly tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Does it hurt?” Bob asked, pointing to her head and then internally cringing at himself for asking such a thing.

“No,” she chuckled. “I’ve had it for a long time.”

Bob nodded, his eyes falling to his feet. He looked up again and held out a hand towards her.

“I’m Bob Saginowski.”

“Holly MacKinnon,” she shook his hand, giggling again when Rocco pushed himself in between them and began licking their fingers. “Have you had Rocco long?”

“Few months,” Bob shrugged, his head down as he patted Rocco’s head. “Found him in a bin and been attached to him ever since.”

“I didn’t catch that,” Holly said. “I need to see your lips to make out better what you’re saying otherwise it’s all gibberish.”

“Oh,” Bob grimaced to himself, lifting his face to meet hers again. “Sorry, I didn’t think.”

He repeated the brief story about how he had come to acquire Rocco and Holly looked at him sadly.

“People can be so cruel,” she sighed, her eyes falling momentarily to Rocco. “Poor boy. But he’s got you now and I can see that you adore him.”

“Never really took myself for a pet owner of any sort, but he wrangled his way into my life and I don’t think I could be without him now,” Bob smiled. “What about you? You got any pets?”

“No,” Holly shook her head. “Had two dogs when I was growing up but then after they died, I kind of felt too afraid to get another because it hurts too much to lose them. And now I live in a shitty little apartment that is definitely no place for a dog to live. I do however have a pet spider that lives above my kitchen window. When I say pet though, I mean uninvited guest who I’m too afraid of to try and move.”

Bob grinned and Holly was taken aback by his handsomeness. She had noticed him a few times during her early morning visits to the park, where she just enjoyed the feeling of fresh air upon her face and usually a book or magazine in her hands, and his seriousness was the thing she remembered the most. He had such a serious face; brows always furrowed over eyes that she could now see were neither blue nor green but instead were the perfect mix of both combined, and full lips that were always pursed as though he was upset about something. Now, seeing his lips pulled back into a smile that showed teeth that were straight and white apart from one snaggle tooth at the front that somehow was imperfectly perfect on him.

“I should get going,” Bob announced, clipping Rocco’s lead onto his collar. “Gotta get to work, you know.”

“Oh yeah, I understand,” Holly nodded, unable to hide the slight disappointment she felt.

Holly worked from home as a ghost writer. It was her passion and something that could be done alone, and most correspondence with clients was done through email which suited her down to the ground. But occasionally it was a lonely existence that left her feeling somewhat isolated. Back home, in the small east coast town she had grown up, everyone knew everyone and as such most people knew she was deaf without her having to tell them. She didn’t have to explain how she had been born hard of hearing and that by the time she was eleven she was completely deaf. She didn’t have to explain how she preferred to have a conversation in sign because it was easier than trying to lip read. She didn’t have to explain that shouting or over enunciating words only confused her and made it hard to understand what a person was saying. And more than anything she didn’t have to explain that just because she was deaf it didn’t mean she still didn’t have a personality; that she didn’t like to laugh and joke the same as everyone else, or that she enjoyed going to the movies and watching disgustingly obscene amounts of Netflix. But here, she was unknown and while in many ways it was refreshing, it was also lonely. Usually when people found out she was deaf they would make an excuse to get away in order to cover up their awkwardness at not knowing how to communicate with her.

“Maybe we’ll see you around sometime?” Bob wondered out loud. “We’re here most mornings.”

“I know,” Holly answered without thinking. “God, that makes me sound like some sort of stalker, doesn’t it? I swear that’s not the case, although I realise that’s exactly what a deranged stalker would say. But whether you choose to believe me or not, I swear to you that I just come here almost every morning to get some fresh air before work and stuff.”

“I think I trust you,” Bob teased lightly, standing up. “I mean, Rocco hasn’t bitten your face off yet like he did to the last girl who stalked us in the park.”

“Well that’s certainly a compliment and a half,” Holly grinned as she stood. “I’ll see you around then, I guess?”

Bob nodded, zipping up his coat and fixing his hat to sit more comfortably on his head, but made no attempt to actually move. Neither did Holly. They just looked at each other as though there was something more to say but neither of them knew what. All they knew was that some sort of invisible pull had wrapped itself around them both. It was only when Holly went to step back did they realise that Rocco had wrapped a very real bind around them both in the form of his stretchy lead. Luckily Bob steadied her before she could land very ungracefully on her behind with a thud.

“Bad Rocco,” Bob scowled at his little pup, who did nothing more than tilt his head and give his master the most adoring look. Bob’s stern facade quickly crumbled and Rocco wagged his tail happily before sitting himself on top of Holly’s feet, before staring at Bob with that sweet look again. “Rocco, come on now. We gotta go.”

But Rocco would not be moved. He moved himself into a lying position and proceeded to shut his eyes and pretend to sleep.

“I told you he’s a little horror when it suits him,” Bob sighed.

Crouching down, Holly scooped Rocco up into her arms and nuzzled him against her cheek.

“He’s also ridiculously cute,” she said. “I don’t know how you ever say no to him.”

“I don’t,” Bob pulled a face and then broke into a smile again. “You know… I’m just gonna throw this out there and feel free to say no, but maybe if you’re not in a rush we could grab a coffee or something?”

“I’d like that,” Holly smiled as Rocco licked her cheek sloppily. “But only if I get to keep Rocco until we get there.”

“Keep him forever if you want.”

“You don’t mean that,” Holly narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

He didn’t.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Somehow over the space of the next three months, Bob and Holly became good friends and a walk in the park followed by coffee had become their daily ritual. They had a lot in common; liked the same movies, read the same books, wanted to visit the same countries and places. Holly watched Rocco for Bob sometimes when he was at work, and he would come home to find the two of them cuddled up and fast asleep on the sofa together. As much as Bob didn’t want to admit it, he enjoyed coming home to that very sight. There was something missing in his life and he had a feeling she was it. But she had never really given him the slightest hint that she might like him back, and it wasn’t in Bob’s nature to ask.

Women and relationships were a complication; something that sounded lovely and heartwarming, but in reality probably wouldn’t fit with his lifestyle. After all, he worked most nights and during weekends and holidays. No woman wanted that. But Holly, she was different. Whether it was conscious or not, she had shown him that it could work with the right person. Some nights, she would bring her laptop to the bar and sit doing her writing, holding up her glass with a cheeky smile when she wanted a refill and then once all the customers had left she would help him get cleaned up. It was those times that he was able to observe her as much as liked. He would look across the bar and watch the way her nose was scrunched up in concentration, and the way she chewed her bottom lip when she was trying to think of a word. But his most favourite thing about her was the way she mouthed the words she was typing. He didn’t know why, but he just found it to be rather endearing.

In fact, he found almost everything about her to be endearing. She was beautiful and kind, and she had the most wicked sense of humour. About two months back, she had invited him to come to a meeting she attended once a fortnight where other hard of hearing people and their families would meet and just talk about their daily struggles with others who understood what it was like. Holly had explained that one of the older ladies who attended always made the most delicious chocolate brownies and that it would make her evening if Bob signed his thanks to her.

Poor, trusting Bob had been well and truly played by the devilish woman who by then had already started to capture his heart. He had been more than a little confused when he had thanked the woman and not only she, but also the surrounding people, had burst out into raucous laughter. He had frowned at Holly but she had been doubled over, red faced and laughing so hard that she actually had to cross her legs to stop herself from peeing.

_“I’m so sorry, Bob,” she snorted leading him over to a quiet corner of the room. “I did a terrible thing.”_

_“I didn’t say thank you to that woman, did I?” Bob eyed her warily._

_“No,” she shook her head._

_“What exactly did I say to her?”_

_“I’m not sure I can tell you.”_

_“That’s fine,” Bob nodded. “I think Rocco and me were getting fed up of your face anyway.”_

_“Hey!” Holly punched him on the shoulder with a glare. “You leave Rocco out of this.”_

_“Tell me then,” Bob folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow._

_“You’re a cruel man, Bob Saginowski,” Holly shook her head in disappointment. “But you leave me no choice, I suppose. What I actually showed you to say to her was ‘These brownies are the same colour as my diarrhoea’.”_

_Bob didn’t say anything. He just looked at her like he didn’t even know her and Holly suddenly felt terrible._

_“Bob, I’m so sorry,” she grimaced, taking his hand. “I was only joking. I thought you’d find it funny.”_

_“You thought I’d find being humiliated and belittled funny?”_

_Holly looked down at her feet, ashamed of herself. Her black vans began to look fuzzy as tears clouded her vision and she suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe. She felt Bob’s arms come around her shoulder as he pulled her in for a hug that made her feel so safe and warm. She felt his lips brushed softly against the side of her head and when she looked up, he was frowning at her in concern._

_“I was only winding you up, Hol,” he said. “I’m not mad at you.”_

_“You’re not?”_

_“No,” he smiled. “But you do know of course that I’m going to have to get you back for this at some point, right?”_

_“I guess I deserve it,” she smiled back._

_Bob shook his head and used the back of his hand to wipe away the tears that had fallen down her rosy cheeks. His eyes held hers, and for a moment there was only the two of them in the room. There was no one else around and just as Bob began to dip his head towards her, she felt someone tap her on the arm. The meeting was about to begin, and reluctantly they took their seats. Holly couldn’t control her nerves as they spent the next hour and a half sat next to one another, and when they left she was desperate to get home and figure out what the hell had almost just happened._

After the incident at the meeting, Bob had taken it upon himself to begin learning sign. He refused to be caught out like that again, but more than anything he wanted to make the effort for Holly. He wanted her to know how much her friendship meant to him. He was just waiting for the right time to show her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Bob unlocked the door with a tired sigh, waiting for Rocco to come bounding towards him, but he was greeted by silence with the intermittent, unmistakable sound of snoring. Smiling to himself, Bob slipped off his shoes by the door and padded down the hallway into the living room. Just as he predicted, his two favourite beings in the world were fast asleep on the couch with a blanket haphazardly thrown over them and the tv on standby. As gently as possible, Bob pulled the blanket up so it covered Holly better and he allowed himself the luxury of tracing her full lips with his intense eyes and counting the light dusting of freckles across her nose.

Holly knew Bob was home. She didn’t need to hear the front door open or his footsteps through the house because she just knew. Whenever Bob was near, she got this fluttering in her stomach and an almost static feeling around her. It was exhilarating and scary and comforting all at the same time. She opened her eyes and there he was, watching her. She should have found his behaviour odd or maybe even alarming, but all she felt was the urge to sit up and kiss him until neither of them could breathe.

“Hey,” Bob smiled.

“Hi,” Holly smiled back.

With great difficulty, Holly tried to manoeuvre herself out from underneath Rocco. She failed miserably though and the pitbull decided he wanted to go out into the garden to do his business. Bob and Holly sat on the backdoor step watching him sniff around the rose bush that Bob’s mother had lovingly tended for years until her passing. Holly still had the green and red tartan blanket around her shoulders and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bob shiver ever so slightly. Smiling, she edged closer to him and wrapped the blanket around him as well.

“It’s cold,” she said.

“Is it?” Bob looked down at her.

The expression in his eyes was unreadable and Holly held her breath as his head dipped. When his cold lips touched her own, she pulled back in shock. Bob kissed her. He actually bloody kissed her.

“I’m sorry,” Bob apologised, mistaking her action for disgust or upset. “I thought-“

But Holly silenced the rest of his sentence by kissing him back. She was a little over enthusiastic and their teeth clashed together as though they were two youngsters kissing another human for the first time. It was rather clumsy yet full of passion.

Bob lifted his hand to cup Holly’s cheek as his tongue licked gently at her lips, seeking entry which she gave willingly. They kissed as though it wasn’t three in the morning and below freezing outside. They kissed as though it was just something they had always done.

When Rocco trotted back inside and the two of them followed, neither spoke or questioned what was happening as they made their way upstairs. Their clothes fell off and their bodies melded together as if made for each other. Months off pent up sexual tension and frustration dissipated into something tender and loving that neither would ever forget in a hurry.

Afterwards, as they lay in bed, curled up together in a way that felt so natural and normal, they both wondered how they had ever managed to sleep alone without the other. Bob pressed a kiss to Holly’s head. Her eyelids were fluttering shut and he knew sleep was ready to claim her. If he was honest, it was ready to claim him as well. But he forced himself to stay awake and soak in this moment for just a little while longer.

Holly looked up at him questioningly and he just smiled back, feeling more content than he had in a long time. And that was when he knew it. Sitting up, he switched on the bedside lamp before taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

At first, Holly thought she was imagining things when his hands began to move. She blinked, wondering if it was just coincidence. But then she looked into his eyes and saw it there, shining out for her like a beacon of light.

He moved his hands again.

_I love you._

“Did I do it wrong?” he asked, speaking and signing at the same time when she didn’t react.

Holly couldn’t speak. Her throat felt like she had swallowed a golf ball and she felt like she was dreaming.

“I’ve been learning,” Bob explained. “Am I doing it wrong?”

“No,” Holly whispered eventually, a lone tear sliding down her cheek and falling onto the quilt.

She didn’t know what she had done to deserve someone like Bob Saginowski, but she knew with all of her heart that she was never going to let him go.

_I love you too, Bob._

Luckily for Holly, Bob had no intention of ever letting her go either. She was stuck with him forever.Holly achieved the one thing that prayers and church didn’t. She healed him and she brought him the constant peace he craved. She absolved him of every sin without even realising it.

She was his heaven on earth.


End file.
